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Amendment Would Freeze EdChoice Voucher School List, Expand Income Based Vouchers Even More

Karen Kasler

State lawmakers are expected to vote on a compromise that could stop a huge increase in the number of Ohio public school buildings where students will be eligible for private school vouchers starting this weekend. If a change is made, it has to happen before the EdChoice voucher program starts accepting applications on Saturday.

The new amendmentwould freeze the EdChoice eligibility list, which stands at 517 buildings but would balloon to more than 1200 without the change. Sen. Matt Dolan (R-Chagrin Falls) said schools that have met academic requirements can be removed, but no new schools will be added.

Dolan said the freeze would be in effect for two years, which he said will buy some time for corrections to be made to the overall system. As part of an overhaul, some lawmakers have suggested scrapping the A-F report card system.

Dolan said it’s a compromise with Republican leaders but is hoping for bipartisan support.

“There may be some suggestions that people will make that will allow them to vote for it. So it’s still a fluid process, but I would hope that we will continue to have discussions," said Dolan.

School groups say more than a hundred buildings will still be on the list though they’ve seen improvement.

The amendment also further expands income based vouchers to families making up to 300% of the federal poverty level – over $77,000 a year for a family of four. Dolan's previous amendment would expand eligibility for those vouchers to 250% of the federal poverty level. Those vouchers are paid for by the state, not by school districts.

It was suggested at a press conference featuring a group of EdChoice voucher families that legal action could be possible if the EdChoice list isn't allowed to soar as expected. But Dolan said the bigger issue is that the state can't send a message that so many buildings are considered "failing".

“I think there will be families involved who will feel that fundamentally this is not fair to them based on what they thought was going to happen. But a fix needed to be done," Dolan said.

If no changes are made, 70% of Ohio's school districts will have a building where students will qualify for EdChoice vouchers.

Copyright 2020 The Statehouse News Bureau. To see more, visit The Statehouse News Bureau.

Amendment Would Freeze EdChoice Voucher School List, Expand Income Based Vouchers Even More

Karen is a lifelong Ohioan who has served as news director at WCBE-FM, assignment editor/overnight anchor at WBNS-TV, and afternoon drive anchor/assignment editor in WTAM-AM in Cleveland. In addition to her daily reporting for Ohio’s public radio stations, she’s reported for NPR, the BBC, ABC Radio News and other news outlets. She hosts and produces the Statehouse News Bureau’s weekly TV show “The State of Ohio”, which airs on PBS stations statewide. She’s also a frequent guest on WOSU TV’s “Columbus on the Record”, a regular panelist on “The Sound of Ideas” on ideastream in Cleveland, appeared on the inaugural edition of “Face the State” on WBNS-TV and occasionally reports for “PBS Newshour”. She’s often called to moderate debates, including the Columbus Metropolitan Club’s Issue 3/legal marijuana debate and its pre-primary mayoral debate, and the City Club of Cleveland’s US Senate debate in 2012.
Karen Kasler
Contact Karen at 614/578-6375 or at kkasler@statehousenews.org.